Communication terminal apparatus, computer product, and incoming call processing method

ABSTRACT

A communication terminal apparatus includes a computer configured to receive an incoming call request from a caller device; identify a communication service requested by the caller device, based on the received incoming call request; retrieve from among a plurality of OSs running on the communication terminal apparatus and based on communication services processable by each OS included among the OSs, an OS capable of processing the identified communication service; and allocate the incoming call request to the retrieved OS.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication PCT/JP2010/063942, filed on Aug. 18, 2010 and designatingthe U.S., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The embodiments discussed herein are related to a communication terminalapparatus and incoming call processing.

BACKGROUND

Virtualization technology causing multiple operating systems (OSs) torun on a single computer is expected to be applied to a communicationterminal such as a mobile telephone. If multiple OSs run on a singlemobile telephone, a user previously carrying multiple mobile telephonescan integrate the functions of the mobile telephones into one mobiletelephone.

Related prior arts include a mobile terminal including a mobile machineOS, an application manager controlling a contactless integrated circuit(IC), and a device driver of the contactless IC. The mobile machine OSexecutes various functions of the mobile terminal. The device driverdrives the OS of the contactless IC under the control of the applicationmanager.

Further, a communication system exists that includes a tag thattransmits ID information of the device to which the tag belongs, aserver capable of connecting to a cellular communication network, and anaggregation point that aggregates information from the tag. In thecommunication system, the aggregation point includes a receiving unitthat receives ID information from the tag and a communicating unit thatperforms cellular communication via the cellular communication network.The aggregation point receives from the server, a switching signal forswitching between multiple modes including a cellular communication modeand a tag receiving function to provide mode switching control.

Refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 2006-72956 and2004-242274 for examples of related arts.

However, in the conventional technologies described above, if multipleOSs running on a terminal respectively have different features, aproblem arises in that it is difficult to determine which OS should beused at the time of an incoming call. As a result, for example, if thecaller makes a video phone call and an OS that does not support videophone calls is used on the receiving side, the video phone call cannotbe complete and communication is hindered.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of an embodiment, a communication terminalapparatus includes a computer configured to receive an incoming callrequest from a caller device; identify a communication service requestedby the caller device, based on the received incoming call request;retrieve from among a plurality of OSs running on the communicationterminal apparatus and based on communication services processable byeach OS included among the OSs, an OS capable of processing theidentified communication service; and allocate the incoming call requestto the retrieved OS.

The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a functional configuration ofa communication terminal apparatus according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of an OScorrelation table;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example of an incoming call processprocedure of the communication terminal apparatus according to the firstembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of thecommunication terminal apparatus;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of one example of the communicationterminal apparatus according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of thecommunication terminal apparatus according to the second embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of a virtualmachine correlation table;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of thetelephone book;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of anapplication list;

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of a timeslot list;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of alocation list;

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of anoperation history table;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of an incoming call processprocedure of the communication terminal apparatus according to thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an example of a process procedure of a firstdetermination process;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an example of a process procedure of a seconddetermination process; and

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of one example of the communicationterminal apparatus according to a third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of a communication terminal apparatus, an incomingcall processing program, and an incoming call processing methodaccording to the present invention will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

A functional configuration of a communication terminal apparatus 100according to a first embodiment will be described. The communicationterminal apparatus 100 is a computer having a communication function andis, for example, a mobile telephone, a personal handy-phone system (PHS)telephone, or a smartphone.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a functional configuration ofthe communication terminal apparatus 100 according to the firstembodiment. In FIG. 1 the communication terminal apparatus 100 includesa receiving unit 101, an identifying unit 102, a retrieving unit 103,and allocating unit 104.

The receiving unit 101 receives an incoming call request from a callerdevice 110. The caller device 110 is, for example, a communicationterminal apparatus capable of communicating with the communicationterminal apparatus 100, via a telephone network provided by atelecommunications carrier. The incoming call request is an incomingcall request for telephone or e-mail. The incoming call request includesan identifier of the caller device 110 and an identifier of acommunication service requested by the caller device 110, for example.

The identifying unit 102 identifies the communication service requestedby the caller device 110, based on the received incoming call request. Acommunication service is a service provided by a telecommunicationscarrier to users. The communication service may be, for example, aservice enabling one to make a phone call while viewing the face of theother person, a service enabling a phone call among three or morepersons, and a service of displaying a message such as characters andpictograms on an incoming call screen of the other party at the sametime as the incoming call.

For example, the identifying unit 102 identifies an identifier of acommunication service requested by the caller device 110 included in thereceived incoming call request. In the following description, multiplecommunication services provided by a telecommunications carrier to userswill be referred to as “communication services S1 to Sm”. An arbitrarycommunication service of the communication services S1 to Sm will bereferred to as a “communication service Sj” (j=1, 2, . . . , m).

The retrieving unit 103 retrieves an OS capable of processing theidentified communication service requested by the caller device 110among multiple Oss, based on communication services processable by eachOS included among the multiple OSs running on the terminal. Each OS issoftware that processes incoming call requests from the caller device110. Each OS has processable communication services and unprocessablecommunication services, among the communication services S1 to Sm. Inthe following description, the multiple OSs running on the communicationterminal apparatus 100 will be referred to as “OS1 to OSn”. An arbitraryOS among the OS1 to OSn will be referred to as an “OSi” (i=1, 2, . . . ,n).

For example, the retrieving unit 103 retrieves the OSi corresponding tothe identifier of the communication service Sj requested by the callerdevice 110, from an OS correlation table 200 depicted in FIG. 2. The OScorrelation table 200 is a table indicating the communication servicesprocessable by each OS included among the OSs running on the terminal.The contents of the OS correlation table 200 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of an OScorrelation table. In FIG. 2, the OS correlation table 200 stores foreach OSi included among the multiple OSs from OS1 to OSn, a service IDof each communication service Sj processable by the OSi. The service IDis an identifier of the communication service Sj provided by thetelecommunications carrier to users. An OS name is the name of the OSirunning on the communication terminal apparatus 100.

The service Sj processable by the OSi running on the terminal can beidentified with the OS correlation table 200. For example, if a serviceID “S1” is identified as the identifier of the communication service Sjrequested by the caller device 110, the retrieving unit 103 refers tothe OS correlation table 200 to retrieve the OS name “OS1” correspondingto the identified service ID “Si”.

The allocating unit 104 allocates an incoming call request from thecaller device 110 to a retrieved OSi. For example, the allocating unit104 delivers an incoming call request from the caller device 110 to afunctional unit of the retrieved OSi processing the incoming callrequest. As a result, the OSi processes the incoming call request fromthe caller device 110 and provides the communication service Sjrequested by the caller device 110.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an example of an incoming call processprocedure of the communication terminal apparatus according to the firstembodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 3, the communication terminalapparatus determines whether the receiving unit 101 has received anincoming call request from the caller device 110 (step S301).

The communication terminal apparatus waits until the receiving unit 101receives an incoming call request from the caller device 110 (step S301:NO). When the receiving unit 101 receives an incoming call request (stepS301: YES), the identifying unit 102 identifies the service ID of thecommunication service Sj requested by the caller device 110 and includedin the received incoming call request (step S302).

The retrieving unit 103 retrieves the OSi corresponding to the serviceID of the communication service Sj requested by the caller device 110,from the OS correlation table 200 depicted in FIG. 2 (step S303). Theallocating unit 104 allocates the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110 to the retrieved OSi (step S304) and a series of theprocesses of this flowchart is terminated.

The communication terminal apparatus 100 according to the firstembodiment described above can retrieve from among the multiple OSs fromOS1 to OSn running on the terminal, the OSi capable of processing thecommunication service Sj requested by the caller device 110 to allocatethe incoming call request from the caller device 110. As a result, theincoming call request from the caller device 110 can be processedproperly and the communication service Sj reflecting the intention ofthe caller device 110 can be provided to a user.

One example of a communication terminal apparatus 400 according to asecond embodiment will be described. Components identical to thosedescribed in the first embodiment are denoted by the same referencenumerals used in the first embodiment and will not be described. Ahardware configuration of the communication terminal apparatus 400according to the second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of thecommunication terminal apparatus. As depicted in FIG. 4, thecommunication terminal apparatus includes a central processing unit(CPU) 401, a read-only memory (ROM) 402, a random access memory (RAM)403, an interface (I/F) 404, a display 405, and an input device 406,respectively connected by a bus 410.

The CPU 401 governs overall control of the communication terminalapparatus. The CPU 401 may be single core processor or a multi-coreprocessor. The ROM 402 stores therein programs such as a boot program.The RAM 403 is used as a work area of the CPU 401. The I/F 404 isconnected to a wired or wireless network 407 and is connected to otherapparatuses through the network 407. The I/F 404 administers an internalinterface with the network 407 and controls the input/output of datafrom/to external apparatuses.

The display 405 displays, for example, data such as text, images,functional information, etc., in addition to a cursor, icons, and/ortool boxes. A liquid crystal display may be employed as the display 405.The input device includes, for example, keys for inputting letters,numerals, and various instructions and performs the input of data.Alternatively, a touch-panel-type input pad or numeric keypad, etc. maybe adopted.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of one example of the communicationterminal apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, thecommunication terminal apparatus 400 includes virtual machines VM0 toVMn and a hypervisor VMM.

The virtual machines VM0 to VMn are virtual computers running on thecommunication terminal apparatus 400. For example, the virtual machinesVM0 to VMn are software running in execution environments established bydividing the hardware resources (such as the CPU 401, the ROM 402, theRAM 403, the I/F 404) of the communication terminal apparatus 400.

The entities of the virtual machines VM0 to VMn include, for example,software such as programs and OSs, variables given to the software, andinformation specifying hardware resources for executing the software.The virtual machines VM1 to VMn respectively execute the different OS1to OSn.

The hypervisor VMM virtualizes and controls computers such that thedifferent OSs from OS1 to OSn can be executed. For example, thehypervisor VMM activates the different OSs from OS1 to OSn on thevirtual machines VM1 to VMn.

The virtual machine VM0 includes an incoming call function unit 501, anincoming call sharing unit (backend) 502, and an incoming callcontroller 503. The incoming call function unit 501 receives an incomingcall request from the caller device 110. The incoming call function unit501 is the I/F 404 depicted in FIG. 4, for example. The incoming callsharing unit (backend) 502 is a function for sharing the incoming callfunction unit 501 among the multiple OSs from OS1 to OSn. The incomingcall controller 503 determines a virtual machine to process an incomingcall request from the caller device 110.

Each of the virtual machines VM1 to VMn includes an incoming callsharing unit (frontend) 504, a referring unit 505, a processing unit506, and a managing unit 507. The incoming call sharing unit (frontend)504 is a function for sharing the incoming call function unit 501 of thevirtual machine VM0 among the multiple OSs from OS1 to OSn. Thereferring unit 505 notifies the incoming call controller 503 of theinformation of the virtual machines VM1 to VMn in response to a requestfrom the incoming call controller 503 of the virtual machine VM0. Theprocessing unit 506 processes an incoming call request from the callerdevice 110. The managing unit 507 manages the service Sj processable byeach of the OS1 to OSn running on the virtual machines VM1 to VMn.

In the communication terminal apparatus 400, the incoming call functionunit 501 of the virtual machine VM0 is shared by the different OSs, OS1to OSn. For example, the communication terminal apparatus 400 has theincoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 driving the I/F 404 and has theincoming call sharing unit (frontend) 504 for sharing the I/F 404 amongthe multiple OSs, OS1 to OSn.

Communication between the virtual machines in the communication terminalapparatus 400 is performed via the hypervisor VMM. For example,communication between the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 ofthe virtual machine VM0 and the incoming call sharing unit (frontend)504 of each of the virtual machines VM1 to VMn is performed via thehypervisor VMM.

An example of a process procedure of the communication terminalapparatus 400 at the time of an incoming call will be described. In thecommunication terminal apparatus 400, the incoming call function unit501 receives an incoming call request from the caller device 110 andnotifies the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 of the incomingcall request. The incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 notifies theincoming call controller 503 of the incoming call request from thecaller device 110.

The incoming call controller 503 determines, and notifies the incomingcall sharing unit (backend) 502 of, which of the virtual machines VM1 toVMn is to process the incoming call request from the caller device 110.The incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 delivers the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110, to the incoming call sharing unit(frontend) 504 of the virtual machine VM1 to VMn that received thenotification from the incoming call controller 503.

The incoming call sharing unit (frontend) 504 of each of the virtualmachines VM1 to VMn delivers to the processing unit 506, the incomingcall request received from the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502of the virtual machine VM0. The processing unit 506 processes theincoming call request from the caller device 110.

A specific functional configuration of the communication terminalapparatus 400 for implementing the virtual machine VM0 will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6. In the following description, an arbitraryvirtual machine among the virtual machines VM1 to VMn will be referredto as a “virtual machine VMi”.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of thecommunication terminal apparatus according to the second embodiment. InFIG. 6, the communication terminal apparatus 400 includes the receivingunit 101, the identifying unit 102, the retrieving unit 103, theallocating unit 104, a determining unit 601, a judging unit 602, and anupdating unit 603. For example, the functions of the functional units(the receiving unit 101 to the allocating unit 104, the determining unit601 to the updating unit 603) are implemented by executing on the CPU401, programs stored in storage devices such as the ROM 402 and RAM 403depicted in FIG. 4 or by the I/F 404.

The process results of the functional units (the receiving unit 101 tothe allocating unit 104, the determining unit 601 to the updating unit603) are stored to storage devices such as the RAM 403, for example. Thereceiving unit 101 corresponds to the incoming call function unit 501 ofthe virtual machine VM0 depicted in FIG. 5, for example. The allocatingunit 104 corresponds to the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502depicted in FIG. 5, for example. The identifying unit 102, theretrieving unit 103, and the determining unit 601 to the updating unit603 correspond to the incoming call controller 503 depicted in FIG. 5.

The receiving unit 101 receives an incoming call request from the callerdevice 110. For example, the receiving unit 101 receives an incomingcall request from the caller device 110 via the network 407 (see FIG.4).

The identifying unit 102 identifies the communication service Sjrequested by the caller device 110, based on the received incoming callrequest. For example, the identifying unit 102 identifies the service IDof the communication service Sj requested by the caller device 110included in the received incoming call request.

The retrieving unit 103 retrieves the OSi capable of processing thecommunication service Sj requested by the identified caller device 110among the multiple OSs from OS1 to OSn running on its own terminal. Eachof the OS1 to OSn is an OS running on each of the virtual machines VM1to VMn operating in the communication terminal apparatus 400. Therefore,“retrieving the OSi capable of processing the communication service Sjamong the OS1 to OSn” corresponds to “retrieving the virtual machine VMicapable of processing the communication service Sj, from among thevirtual machines VM1 to VMn”.

Therefore, in the following description, an object to be retrieved bythe retrieving unit 103 is defined as “a virtual machine VMi capable ofprocessing the communication service Sj”. For example, the retrievingunit 103 refers to a virtual machine correlation table 700 depicted inFIG. 7 to retrieve a virtual machine VMi corresponding to the service IDof the communication service Sj requested by the caller device 110.

The virtual machine correlation table 700 is a table indicating theservice Sj processable by the virtual machine VMi operating in thecommunication terminal apparatus 400. The virtual machine correlationtable 700 is stored in a storage device such as the RAM 403 depicted inFIG. 4, for example. The contents of the virtual machine correlationtable 700 will be described.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of thevirtual machine correlation table. In FIG. 7, the virtual machinecorrelation table 700 stores the machine IDs of the virtual machines VMicapable of processing the communication services Sj for each of thecommunication services Sj provided by the telecommunications carrier tousers.

The service ID is an identifier of the communication service Sj providedby the telecommunications carrier to users. The machine ID is anidentifier of the virtual machine VMi operating in the communicationterminal apparatus 400. From the virtual machine correlation table 700,the service Sj processable by the virtual machine VMi operating in thecommunication terminal apparatus 400 can be identified.

Returning to the description of FIG. 6, if multiple communicationservices Sj requested by the caller device 110 are identified, theretrieving unit 103 retrieves from among the virtual machines VM1 toVMn, a virtual machine VMi capable of processing each of thecommunication services Sj. For example, it is assumed that thecommunication services S1 and S2 are identified as the communicationservices Sj requested by the caller device 110.

In this case, for example, the retrieving unit 103 refers to the virtualmachine correlation table 700 to retrieve the machine ID “VM1”corresponding to the service ID “S1”. The retrieving unit 103 thenrefers to the virtual machine correlation table 700 to retrieve themachine IDs “VM1, VM2” corresponding to the service ID “S2”. As aresult, the two virtual machines VM1 and VM2 are retrieved as thevirtual machines VMi capable of processing the communication service S1or S2 requested by the caller device 110.

In the following description, multiple virtual machines retrieved as thevirtual machines capable of processing the communication service Sjrequested by the caller device 110 will be referred to as “virtualmachines VM[1] to VM[K]. An arbitrary virtual machine among the virtualmachines VM[1] to VM[K] will be referred to as a “virtual machine VM[k]”(k=1, 2, . . . , K).

If two or more virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] are retrieved, thedetermining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110, among the virtualmachines VM[1] to VM[K]. For example, the determining unit 601determines the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming callrequest based on the number of the communication services Sj requestedby the caller device 110 processable by each virtual machine VM[k].

For example, first, the determining unit 601 counts for each of theretrieved virtual machines VM[k], the number C[k] of the communicationservices Sj requested by the caller device 110 and processable by thevirtual machine VM[k]. The determining unit 601 determines the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request among the virtualmachines VM[1] to VM[K] based on the number C[k] counted for each of thevirtual machines VM[k].

In the example of a case where the communication services S1 and S2 areidentified as described above, the virtual machines VM1 and VM2 areretrieved as the virtual machines VM[k] capable of processing thecommunication service S1 or S2. In this case, first, the determiningunit 601 counts the numbers C1 and C2 of the communication services Sjrequested by the caller device 110 and processable by the virtualmachines VM1 and VM2.

In this case, since the virtual machine VM1 can process both thecommunication services S1 and S2 requested by the caller device 110, thenumber C1 for the virtual machine VM1 is “C1=2”. On the other hand,since the virtual machine VM2 can process only the communication serviceS2 among the communication services S1 and S2 requested by the callerdevice 110, the number C2 for the virtual machine VM2 is “C2=1”.

In this case, for example, the determining unit 601 determines thevirtual machine VM1 having the largest number C1 (C1>C2) among thenumbers C1 and C2 of the communication services Sj processable by thevirtual machines VM1 and VM2 as the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110. However, if thenumber of the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] is three or more, thevirtual machine VM[k] having the number C[k] at least larger thananother virtual machine may be determined as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110.

As a result, more communication services Sj requested from the callerdevice 110 can be provided to a user. If multiple virtual machines VM[k]among the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] have the largest number C[k],the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request fromthe caller device 110 may be determined based on priority preliminarilygiven to each service Sj. For example, among the multiple virtualmachines VM[k] having the largest number C[k], the virtual machine VM[k]capable of processing the higher-priority service Sj is determined asthe virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request fromthe caller device 110.

The allocating unit 104 allocates the incoming call request from thecaller device 110 to the determined virtual machine VMi. For example,the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 delivers the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110 to the incoming call sharing unit(frontend) 504 of the determined virtual machine VMi. As a result, theincoming call sharing unit (frontend) 504 of the virtual machine VMireceives and delivers to the processing unit 506, the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110. The processing unit 506 of thevirtual machine VMi processes the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110.

The updating unit 603 updates a table indicating the communicationservice Sj processable by each OSi running on the terminal. For example,the incoming call controller 503 receives an update request from themanaging unit 507 of the virtual machine VMi and updates the contents ofthe virtual machine correlation table 700. The update request from themanaging unit 507 includes the service ID of the service Sj processableby the virtual machine VMi, for example.

For example, if a change is made in the service Sj processable by thevirtual machine VMi, the managing unit 507 of the virtual machine VMinotifies the incoming call controller 503 of the service ID of theservice Sj processable by the virtual machine VMi. As a result, theincoming call controller 503 updates the contents of the virtual machinecorrelation table 700 according to the service ID of the service Sjprocessable by the virtual machine VMi received from the managing unit507.

A change is made in the service Sj processable by the virtual machineVMi when a new application is installed into the virtual machine VMi aswell as when a new virtual machine VMi is added or when an existingvirtual machine VMi is deleted.

If the multiple virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] are retrieved, theretrieving unit 103 may determine the virtual machine VMi to process theincoming call request from the caller device 110 with consideration ofthe intention of a recipient (user of the communication terminalapparatus 400). If the virtual machine VMi processing the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110 cannot uniquely be determined fromthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the intension of the recipient maybe considered.

Description will be made of determination techniques (1) to (6) fordetermining among the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtualmachine VMi to process the incoming call request from the caller device110 with consideration of the intention of the recipient (user of thecommunication terminal apparatus 400).

<Determination Technique (1)>

The functions of the communication terminal apparatus 400 include afunction of displaying the name, an image of the face, etc. of the userof the caller device 110 registered in a telephone book on the display405, for example. If the name, an image of the face, etc. of the user ofthe caller device 110 are displayed on the display 405, the recipientcan easily identify the caller device 110.

Therefore, in the determination technique (1), the virtual machine VM[k]capable of displaying the name and an image of the face of the user ofthe caller device 110 on the display 405 is determined as the virtualmachine VMi processing the incoming call request from the caller device110.

For example, first, the judging unit 602 judges whether an identifier ofthe caller device 110 included in the incoming call request isregistered in a caller device list correlated with each of the virtualmachines VM[k]. The identifier of the caller device 110 included in theincoming call request is the telephone number or the e-mail address ofthe caller device 110, for example.

The caller device list is information storing identifiers of certaincaller devices. For example, the caller device list is a telephone bookin which names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, face images, etc.,of certain callers are registered. If an incoming call arrives from acaller device registered in the telephone book, the name, the faceimage, etc. of user of the caller device are displayed on the display405 of the communication terminal apparatus 400.

In the following description, the telephone books correlated with thevirtual machines VM1 to VMn will respectively be referred to as“telephone books TR1 to TRn” and the telephone books correlated with thevirtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] will respectively be referred to as“telephone books TR[1] to TR[K]”. The telephone books TR1 to TRn arecorrelated with the virtual machines VM1 to VMn and stored in thestorage device such as the ROM 402 and the RAM 403, for example.

For example, the judging unit 602 identifies the telephone number of thecaller device 110 included in the incoming call request. The judgingunit 602 judges whether the identified telephone number of the callerdevice 110 is registered in the telephone book TR[k] correlated with thevirtual machine VM[k].

For example, the incoming call controller 503 makes an inquiry to thereferring unit 505 of the virtual machine VM[k] whether the telephonenumber of the caller device 110 is registered in the telephone bookTR[k]. The referring unit 505 of the virtual machine VM[k] judgeswhether the telephone number of the caller device 110 is registered inthe telephone book TR[k] and notifies the incoming call controller 503of the judgment result. The contents of the telephone book TR1 will bedescribed by taking the telephone book TR1 of the virtual machine VM1 asan example.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of thetelephone book. In FIG. 8, names, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses,and face images of certain callers are registered in the telephone bookTR1. The face images may be the shot images of the certain callers ormay be avatars imitating the certain callers.

For example, it is assumed that the telephone number of the callerdevice 110 is “090-xxxx-1234”. In this case, since the identifiedtelephone number “090-xxxx-1234” is registered as the telephone numberof Taro Suzuki, the judging unit 602 judges that the telephone number ofthe caller device 110 is registered in the telephone book TR1 correlatedwith the virtual machine VM1.

The determining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110 based onthe judged judgment result. For example, the determining unit 601determines the virtual machine VM[k] having the telephone number of thecaller device 110 registered in the telephone book TR[k] as the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110.

For example, it is assumed that the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] arevirtual machines VM1 to VM3 and that the telephone number of the callerdevice 110 is registered only in the telephone books TR1 of the virtualmachine VM1 among the virtual machines VM1 to VM3. In this case, thedetermining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VM1 as the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110.

As a result, the name, the face image, etc. of the caller device 110 aredisplayed on the display 405 at the time of the incoming call to improveconvenience for the recipient, and the communication service Sjreflecting the intention of the caller device 110 can be provided to theuser.

<Determination Technique (2)>

Multiple applications may exist as applications for providing the samecommunication service Sj. In such a case, from a viewpoint of providinghigh-quality of the communication service Sj, it is desirable to utilizean application with higher video coding performance when the videotelephone, etc. are used, for example.

Therefore, the determining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VMifor processing the incoming call request from the caller device 110based on the performance of applications running on the virtual machinesVM[k]. The applications are software for providing the communicationservice Sj requested by the caller device 110. The applications includethose for displaying images of the video telephone allowing users totalk while viewing each other's face, for example.

For example, the determining unit 601 refers to an application list 900depicted in FIG. 9 to determine the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110. The applicationlist 900 is stored in the storage device such as the ROM 402 and the RAM403, for example. The contents of the application list 900 will bedescribed.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of theapplication list. In FIG. 9, the application list 900 has fields formachine ID, application ID, and performance. Information is entered intoeach of the fields to store records of the applications installed in thevirtual machines VMi and the performance of the applications.

The machine ID is an identifier of the virtual machine VMi. Theapplication ID is an identifier of an application. The performance isthe performance of an application. The performance of an applicationincludes the resolution of images displayed on the display 405, forexample.

For example, it is assumed that the communication service Sj requestedby the caller device 110 is “video telephone”. It is also assumed thatthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] are virtual machines VM1 and VM2 andthat the applications running for providing the video telephone are“applications A1 and A2”.

In this case, the determining unit 601 refers to the application list900 to identify the performance of the applications A1 and A2 running onthe virtual machines VM1 and VM2 for providing the video telephone. Inthis example, the resolution “240×240 (pixels)” is identified as theperformance of the application A1 and the resolution “320×320 (pixels)”is identified as the performance of the application A2.

The determining unit 601 identifies the application A2 having thehighest resolution. Among the virtual machines VM1 and VM2, thedetermining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VM2 on which theidentified application A2 installed, as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110.

As a result, the incoming call request from the caller device 110 can beprocessed by using a high-performance application and the communicationservice Sj can be provided with high-quality to the recipient.

The contents of the application list 900 are updated according to anupdate request from the managing unit 507 of the virtual machine VMi,for example, when a new application is installed onto the virtualmachine VMi. The update request includes the application ID of the newlyinstalled application and the information about performance of theapplication, for example.

<Determination Technique (3)>

In some utilization forms of the communication terminal apparatus 400,the OSi used at the time of an incoming call may selectively be usedaccording to time. For example, a work OS may be used during a work timeslot from 9:00 to 17:00 and a private OS may be used from 17:01 to 8:59.

Therefore, based on the time of receipt of an incoming call request fromthe caller device 110, the determining unit 601 determines from amongthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request. The time of receipt of theincoming call request can be identified by a function of thecommunication terminal apparatus 400 for measuring the time, forexample.

For example, the determining unit 601 refers to a time slot list 1000depicted in FIG. 10 to determine the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110. The time slot list1000 is stored in the storage device such as the ROM 402 and the RAM403, for example. The contents of the time slot list 1000 will bedescribed.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of the timeslot list. In FIG. 10, the time slot list 1000 stores in a correlatedmanner, an OS name of the OSi used at the time of an incoming call and amachine ID of the virtual machine VMi running the OSi for each of timeslots T1 and T2.

For example, it is assumed that the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] arethe virtual machines VM1 and VM2. When the time of receipt of anincoming call request from the caller device 110 corresponds to the timeslot T1, the determining unit 601 refers to the time slot list 1000 anddetermines the virtual machine VM1 as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request. On the other hand, when the timeof receipt of an incoming call request from the caller device 110corresponds to the time slot T2, the determining unit 601 determines thevirtual machine VM2 as the virtual machine VMi for processing theincoming call request.

As a result, the OSi used at the time of an incoming call can beselectively used according to the time. For example, OSs can be usedselectively in a manner such that the work OS is used during a work timeslot and that the private OS is used during other time slots.

Although at least one virtual machine VM[k] among the virtual machinesVM[1] to VM[K] is assumed to be registered in the time slot list 1000 inthe description, no virtual machine VM[k] is registered in some cases.In such a case, the determining unit 601 may determine an arbitraryvirtual machine VM[k] among the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] as thevirtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request from thecaller device 110.

<Determination Technique (4)>

In some utilization forms of the communication terminal apparatus 400,the OSi used at the time of an incoming call may be used selectivelyaccording to location. For example, the work OS may be used in ametropolitan area and the private OS may be used in other locations.

Therefore, the determining unit 601 determines among the virtualmachines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi for processing theincoming call request from the caller device 110, based on the currentposition of the terminal. The current position of the terminal in whichthe determining unit 601 is implemented is positional information suchas latitude and longitude indicative of the current position of theterminal, for example. The current position of the terminal can beacquired from the global positioning system (GPS) mounted on thecommunication terminal apparatus 400, for example.

For example, the determining unit 601 refers to a location list 1100depicted in FIG. 11 to determine the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110. The location list1100 is stored in a storage device such as the ROM 402 and the RAM 403,for example. The contents of the location list 1100 will be described.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of thelocation list. In FIG. 11, the location list 1100 stores in a correlatedmanner, positional information of locations L1 and L2, an OS name of theOSi used at the time of an incoming call, and a machine ID of thevirtual machine VMi running the OSi for each of the locations L1 and L2.The positional information of the locations L1 and L2 is for identifyinga range of the locations L1 and L2 by latitude and longitude, forexample.

For example, it is assumed that the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] arethe virtual machines VM1 and VM2. First, the determining unit 601 refersto the location list 1100 to identify the location L1 or L2corresponding to the current position of the terminal. If the currentposition of the terminal is at the location L1, the determining unit 601refers to the location list 1100 and determines the virtual machine VM1as the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request. Onthe other hand, if the current position of the terminal is at thelocation L2, the determining unit 601 refers to the location list 1100and determines the virtual machine VM2 as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request.

As a result, the OSi used at the time of an incoming call can be usedselectively according to the current position of the terminal. Forexample, OSs can be used selectively in a manner such that the work OSis used in a metropolitan area and the private OS is used in locationsother than the metropolitan area.

<Determination Technique (5)>

In some utilization forms of the communication terminal apparatus 400,peripheral devices connected to the communication terminal apparatus 400are used for a telephone call. For example, a recipient may use aheadset for a telephone call. The headset is a headphone integrated witha microphone enabling the user to talk on the phone without holding theterminal body.

Thus, the determining unit 601 determines the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110, basedon a connection status of peripheral devices connected to the virtualmachines VM[k]. For example, the incoming call controller 503 makes aninquiry to the referring unit 505 of the virtual machine VM[k] about theconnection status of a headset.

The referring unit 505 of the virtual machine VM[k] judges whether aheadset is connected and notifies the incoming call controller 503 ofthe judgment result. Based on the judgment results from the referringunits 505 of the virtual machines VM[k], the incoming call controller503 determines the virtual machine VM[k] with the headset connected asthe virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request fromthe caller device 110.

As a result, peripheral devices such as a headset can be used at thetime of an incoming call and convenience for the recipient can beimproved.

<Determination Technique (6)>

In some techniques of determining the OSi for processing the incomingcall from the caller device 110, a recipient selects an arbitrary OSi atthe time of an incoming call. By accumulating the operation history ofthe OSi selected by the recipient at the time of an incoming call andsetting the OS more frequently selected by a recipient as the OSi forprocessing the incoming call request, the intention of the recipient canbe reflected.

Therefore, based on the operation history when the recipient selects theOSi processing an incoming call request from the caller device 110 atthe time of an incoming call, the determining unit 601 determines fromamong the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi toprocess an incoming call request from the caller device 110. Forexample, the determining unit 601 refers to an operation history table1200 depicted in FIG. 12 to determine the virtual machine VMi to processthe incoming call request from the caller device 110.

The operation history table 1200 is stored in a storage device such asthe RAM 403, for example. The contents of the operation history table1200 will be described. In this description, “OS1 to OS5” are taken asan example of multiple OSs from OS1 to OSn running on the communicationterminal apparatus 400.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of an example of the contents of theoperation history table. In FIG. 12, for each of services S1 to Sm, theoperation history table 1200 stores the number of times of selection ofeach of the OS1 to 0S5 for processing the incoming call request from thecaller device 110 as a result of input using the input device 406 by therecipient.

For example, it is assumed that the communication service Sj requestedby the caller device 110 is a communication service S7 and that thevirtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] are the virtual machines VM1 to VM5. Inthis case, the determining unit 601 refers to the operation historytable 1200 to identify the number of times that each of the OS1 to 0S5has been selected to process an incoming call request from the callerdevice 110 for the communication service S7.

The determining unit 601 identifies the OS4 having the largest number oftimes among the OS1 to OS5. The determining unit 601 determines thevirtual machine VM4 running the OS4 as the virtual machine VMi toprocess the incoming call request from the caller device 110. As aresult, the communication service Sj can be provided reflecting theintention of the recipient.

Which of the determination techniques (1) to (6) described above is usedas the technique for determining the virtual machine VMi processing theincoming call request from the caller device 110 can arbitrarily be set.Multiple determination techniques among the determination techniques (1)to (6) described above may be used in a combined manner.

If multiple virtual machines VM[k] exist as a result of using thedetermination techniques (1) to (6) described above, an arbitraryvirtual machine among the multiple virtual machines VM[k] may bedetermined as the virtual machine VMi to process the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110.

If no virtual machine VMi capable of processing the communicationservice Sj requested by the caller device 110 is retrieved by theretrieving unit 103, the determination techniques (1) to (6) describedabove may be used for determining the virtual machine VMi to process theincoming call request from the caller device 110. Similarly, if thecommunication service Sj requested by the caller device 110 cannot beidentified, the determination techniques (1) to (6) described above maybe used.

If no virtual machine VMi capable of processing the communicationservice Sj requested by the caller device 110 is retrieved, a virtualmachine VMx set in advance for a normal incoming call may be determinedas the virtual machine VMi to process the incoming call request from thecaller device 110. Similarly, if the communication service Sj requestedby the caller device 110 cannot be identified, the virtual machine VMxset in advance for a normal incoming call may be used. The virtualmachine VMx for a normal incoming call is the virtual machine VMiimplementing a minimum function required for a telephone call, forexample.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of an incoming call processprocedure of the communication terminal apparatus according to thesecond embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 13, the communicationterminal apparatus determines whether the receiving unit 101 hasreceived an incoming call request from the caller device 110 (stepS1301).

The communication terminal apparatus waits until the receiving unit 101receives an incoming call request from the caller device 110 (stepS1301: NO). When the receiving unit 101 receives an incoming callrequest (step S1301: YES), the identifying unit 102 identifies theservice ID of the communication service Sj requested by the callerdevice 110 and included in the received incoming call request (stepS1302).

The retrieving unit 103 refers to the virtual machine correlation table700 and searches for a virtual machine VMi corresponding to the serviceID of the communication service Sj requested by the caller device 110(step S1303). If the virtual machine VMi is retrieved (step S1304: YES),the determining unit 601 determines whether multiple virtual machinesVM[1] to VM[K] have been retrieved (step S1305).

If multiple virtual machines have not been retrieved (step S1305: NO),the allocating unit 104 allocates the incoming call request from thecaller device 110 to the retrieved virtual machine VMi (step S1306) anda series of the processes of this flowchart is terminated.

On the other hand, if multiple virtual machines have been retrieved(step S1305: YES), the determining unit 601 executes a firstdetermination process of determining the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller 100 (step S1307).The allocating unit 104 allocates the incoming call request from thecaller device 110 to the determined virtual machine VMi (step S1306) anda series of the processes of this flowchart is terminated.

If the virtual machine VMi is not retrieved at step S1304 (step S1304:NO), the determining unit 601 executes a second determination process ofdetermining the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming callrequest from the caller 100 (step S1308). The allocating unit 104allocates the incoming call request from the caller device 110 to thedetermined virtual machine VMi (step S1306) and a series of theprocesses of this flowchart is terminated.

As a result, the incoming call request from the caller 100 can beprocessed properly and the communication service Sj can be provided tothe user, reflecting the intention of the caller 100.

<First Determination Process Procedure>

A process procedure of the first determination process at step S1307depicted in FIG. 13 will be described. For example, the determinationtechniques (1) and (5) described above are used for determining amongthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi to processthe incoming call request from the caller device 110 in thisdescription.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of an example of a process procedure of the firstdetermination process. In the flowchart of FIG. 14, the judging unit 602identifies the telephone number of the caller device 110 included in theincoming call request received at step S1301 depicted in FIG. 13 (stepS1401).

The judging unit 602 initializes “k” of the virtual machine VM[k]included among the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] to “k=1” (stepS1402). The judging unit 602 judges whether the identified telephonenumber of the caller device 110 is registered in the telephone bookTR[k] correlated with the virtual machine VM[k] (step S1404).

If the telephone number of the caller device 110 is registered (stepS1404: YES), the procedure goes to step S1410. On the other hand, if thetelephone number of the caller device 110 is not registered (step S1404:NO), the judging unit 602 increments “k” of the virtual machine VM[k](step S1405) and determines whether “k” is larger than “K” (step S1406).

If “k” is equal to or less than “K” (step S1406: NO), the procedurereturns to step S1403. On the other hand, if “k” is larger than “K”(step S1406: YES), “k” of the virtual machine VM[k] is initialized to“k=1” (step S1407). The determining unit 601 determines whether aheadset is connected to the virtual machine VM[k] (step S1409).

If a headset is connected (step S1409: YES), the determining unit 601determines the virtual machine VM[k] as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110 (stepS1410) and the procedure goes to step S1306 depicted in FIG. 13.

On the other hand, if a headset is not connected (step S1409: NO), thedetermining unit 601 increments “k” of the virtual machine VM[k] (stepS1411) and determines whether “k” is larger than “K” (step S1412). If“k” is equal to or less than “K” (step S1412: NO), the procedure returnsto step S1408.

On the other hand, if “k” is larger than “K” (step S1412: YES), thedetermining unit 601 determines an arbitrary virtual machine VM[k] amongthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] as the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request from the caller device 110 (stepS1413) and the procedure goes to step S1306 depicted in FIG. 13.

As a result, the intention of not only the caller 100 but also of therecipient can be reflected to provide to the user, the communicationservice Sj reflecting the intention of the caller 100 and to improve theconvenience of the recipient.

Although when it is determined that the telephone number is registeredat step S1404, the virtual machine VM[k] is determined as the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110 in the description, configuration is not limited hereto. Forexample, all the virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K] may be narrowed down bydetermining the presence of registration of the telephone numbers andthen further be narrowed down based on the headset connection status.

<Second Determination Process Procedure>

A process procedure of the second determination process at step S1308depicted in FIG. 13 will be described. For example, the determinationtechnique (1) is used for determining from among the virtual machinesVM1 to VMn, the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110 in this description.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an example of a process procedure of thesecond determination process. In the flowchart of FIG. 15, the judgingunit 602 identifies the telephone number of the caller device 110included in the incoming call request received at step S1301 depicted inFIG. 13 (step S1501).

The judging unit 602 initializes “i” of the virtual machine VMi includedamong the virtual machines VM1 to VMn to “i=1” (step S1502). The judgingunit 602 judges whether the identified telephone number of the callerdevice 110 is registered in the telephone book TRi correlated with thevirtual machine VMi (step S1504).

If the telephone number of the caller device 110 is registered (stepS1504: YES), the procedure goes to step S1306 depicted in FIG. 13. Onthe other hand, if the telephone number of the caller device 110 is notregistered (step S1504: NO), the judging unit 602 increments “i” of thevirtual machine VMi (step S1505) and determines whether “i” is largerthan “n” (step S1506).

If “i” is equal to or less than “n” (step S1506: NO), the procedurereturns to step S1503. On the other hand, if “i” is larger than “n”(step S1506: YES), the determining unit 601 determines the virtualmachine VMx set in advance for a normal incoming call as the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110 among the virtual machines VM1 to VMn (step S1507) and theprocedure goes to step S1306 depicted in FIG. 13.

As a result, if no virtual machine VMi capable of processing thecommunication service Sj requested by the caller device 110 isretrieved, the OSi capable of displaying the name, the face image, etc.of the caller device 110 at the time of an incoming call can be usedpreferentially and the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 according to the secondembodiment described above can retrieve the virtual machine VMi capableof processing the communication service Sj requested by the callerdevice 110, from among the virtual machines VM1 to VMn operating on theterminal and can allocate the incoming call request from the caller 100thereto. As a result, the incoming call request from the caller 100 canbe processed properly and the communication service Sj can be providedto the user, reflecting the intention of the caller 100.

If multiple communication services Sj requested by the caller device 110exist, the communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine thevirtual machine VMi for processing the incoming call request from thecaller device 110, based on the number Ci of the communication servicesSj processable by each of the virtual machines VMi. As a result, morecommunication services Sj requested from the caller device 110 can beprovided to the user.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine from among thevirtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VM[k] having thetelephone number of the caller device 110 registered in the telephonebook TR[k] as the virtual machine VMi for processing the incoming callrequest from the caller device 110. Therefore, the name, the face image,etc. of the user of the caller device 110 can be displayed on thedisplay 405 at the time of an incoming call. As a result, thecommunication service Sj can be provided to the user, reflecting theintention of the caller 100 and the convenience of the recipient can beimproved.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110, based on the performance of the applications running on thevirtual machines VM[k]. As a result, the incoming call request from thecaller device 110 can be processed by using a high-performanceapplication and the communication service Sj can be provided to therecipient with high-quality.

Based on the time of receipt of an incoming call request from the callerdevice 110, the communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine amongthe virtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi forprocessing the incoming call request. As a result, the OSi used at thetime of an incoming call can be used selectively according to the time.For example, OSs can selectively be used in a manner such that the workOS is used during a work time slot and that the private OS is usedduring other time slots.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine from among thevirtual machines VM[1] to VM[K], the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110, based on thecurrent position of the terminal. As a result, the OSi used at the timeof an incoming call can be used selectively according to the currentposition of the terminal. For example, OSs can be used selectively in amanner such that the work OS is used in a metropolitan area and theprivate OS is used in locations other than a metropolitan area.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110, based on a connection status of peripheral devices connectedto the virtual machines VM[k]. As a result, a peripheral device such asa headset can be used at the time of an incoming call to improve theconvenience of the recipient.

The communication terminal apparatus 400 can determine the virtualmachine VMi for processing the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110 based on the operation history when the recipient selects theOSi processing the incoming call request from the caller device 110 atthe time of an incoming call. As a result, the communication service Sjreflecting the intention of the recipient can be provided and aprocessing load of determining the virtual machine VMi for processingthe incoming call request from the caller device 110 can be reduced.

One example of a communication terminal apparatus 1600 according to athird embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, descriptionwill be made of a case where the virtual machine VM1 includes thefunctional units (the incoming call function unit 501 to the incomingcall controller 503) of the virtual machine VM0 described in the secondembodiment. Components identical to those described in the first andsecond embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals used inthe first and the second embodiments and will not be described.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of one example of the communicationterminal apparatus according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 16, thecommunication terminal apparatus 1600 includes virtual machines VM1 toVMn and a hypervisor VMM.

The virtual machine VM1 includes the incoming call function unit 501,the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502, the incoming callcontroller 503, the referring unit 505, the processing unit 506, and themanaging unit 507. Each of the virtual machines VM2 to VMn includes theincoming call sharing unit (frontend) 504, the referring unit 505, theprocessing unit 506, and the managing unit 507. The incoming callsharing unit (frontend) 504 is a function for sharing the incoming callfunction unit 501 included in the virtual machine VM1 among the multipleOSs from OS1 to OSn. Therefore, in the communication terminal apparatus1600, the incoming call function unit 501 of the virtual machine VM1 isshared among the different OSs from OS1 to OSn.

An example of a process procedure of the communication terminalapparatus 1600 at the time of an incoming call will be described. In thecommunication terminal apparatus 1600, the incoming call function unit501 receives an incoming call request from the caller device 110 andnotifies the incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 of the incomingcall request. The incoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 notifies theincoming call controller 503 of the incoming call request from thecaller device 110.

The incoming call controller 503 determines, and notifies the incomingcall sharing unit (backend) 502 of, which of the virtual machines VM1 toVMn is to process the incoming call request from the caller device 110.If the virtual machine VM1 is to process the incoming call request, theincoming call sharing unit (backend) 502 delivers to the processing unit506, the incoming call request from the caller 100. The processing unit506 processes the incoming call request from the caller device 110.

On the other hand, if a virtual machine other than the virtual machineVM1 is to process the incoming call request, the incoming call sharingunit (backend) 502 delivers the incoming call request from the callerdevice 110, to the incoming call sharing unit (frontend) 504 of thevirtual machine VM2 to VMn that received the notification from theincoming call controller 503. The incoming call sharing unit (frontend)504 of each of the virtual machines VM2 to VMn delivers to theprocessing unit 506, the incoming call request delivered from theincoming call sharing unit (backend) 502. The processing unit 506processes the incoming call request from the caller device 110.

The communication terminal apparatus 1600 according to the thirdembodiment described above eliminates the necessity for communicationbetween the virtual machines via the hypervisor VMM when the virtualmachine VM1 processes the incoming call request from the caller device110. Therefore, the performance of the communication terminal apparatus1600 at the time of an incoming call can be improved. Particularly, byincluding the functional units (the incoming call function unit 501 tothe incoming call controller 503) of the virtual machine VM0 describedin the second embodiment into the frequently used virtual machine VMi,the communication between the virtual machines can significantly bereduced.

The incoming call processing method described in the present embodimentmay be implemented by executing a prepared program on a computer such asa personal computer and a workstation. The program is stored on acomputer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk,a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, read out from the computer-readable medium,and executed by the computer. The program may be distributed through anetwork such as the Internet.

All examples and conditional language provided herein are intended forpedagogical purposes of aiding the reader in understanding the inventionand the concepts contributed by the inventor to further the art, and arenot to be construed as limitations to such specifically recited examplesand conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in thespecification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority ofthe invention. Although one or more embodiments of the present inventionhave been described in detail, it should be understood that the variouschanges, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication terminal apparatus comprising acomputer configured to: receive an incoming call request from a callerdevice; identify a communication service requested by the caller device,based on the received incoming call request; retrieve from among aplurality of OSs running on the communication terminal apparatus andbased on communication services processable by each OS included amongthe OSs, an OS capable of processing the identified communicationservice; and allocate the incoming call request to the retrieved OS. 2.The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, the computerfurther configured to determine an OS for processing the incoming callrequest, wherein the computer retrieves an OS capable of processing eachidentified communication service if multiple communication services areidentified, and the computer determines an OS for processing theincoming call request, from among retrieved OSs when two or more OSshave been retrieved and based on the number of the identifiedcommunication services processable by each retrieved OS.
 3. Thecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each OSamong the OSs is correlated with a caller device list that is specificto each of the OSs and stores identifiers for identifying given callerdevices, the computer is further configured to judge whether anidentifier of a caller device included in the incoming call request isregistered in the caller device list correlated with a retrieved OS,when two or more OSs have been retrieved, and the computer determines anOS for processing the incoming call request, from among the retrievedOSs and based on a judgment result.
 4. The communication terminalapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the computer determines an OSfor processing the incoming call request, from among the retrieved OSsand based on performance of an application for providing the identifiedcommunication service and running on the retrieved OSs.
 5. Thecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thecomputer determines an OS for processing the incoming call request, fromamong the retrieved OSs and based on the time when the incoming callrequest is received.
 6. The communication terminal apparatus accordingto claim 2, wherein the computer determines an OS for processing theincoming call request, from among the retrieved OSs and based on acurrent position of the communication terminal apparatus.
 7. Thecommunication terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thecomputer determines an OS for processing the incoming call request, fromamong the retrieved OSs and based on a connection status of a peripheraldevice with respect to the retrieved OSs.
 8. The communication terminalapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the computer determines an OSfor processing the incoming call request, from among the retrieved OSsand based on an operation history of user OS selections made at the timeof an incoming call for processing the incoming call request.
 9. Acomputer-readable recording medium storing an incoming call processingprogram that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:receiving an incoming call request from a caller device; identifying acommunication service requested by the caller device, based on thereceived incoming call request; retrieving from among a plurality of OSsrunning on the communication terminal apparatus and based oncommunication services processable by each OS included among the OSs, anOS capable of processing the identified communication service; andallocating the incoming call request to the retrieved OS.
 10. Anincoming call processing method executed by a computer of acommunication terminal apparatus, the incoming call processing methodcomprising: receiving an incoming call request from a caller device;identifying a communication service requested by the caller device,based on the received incoming call request; retrieving from among aplurality of OSs running on the communication terminal apparatus andbased on communication services processable by each OS included amongthe OSs, an OS capable of processing the identified communicationservice; and allocating the incoming call request to the retrieved OS.